Posted on: April 19, 2019 03:00 PM

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Richmond Hill man busted for sex trafficking in Jackson Heights

Police arrested Vajira Jayatunge, 50 of Richmond Hill and charged with sex trafficking, promoting prostitution and other crimes for allegedly pushing a female spa worker to include oral sex, intercourse and other sexual favors during the massages she gave clients at the Nishu Salon and Spa in Jackson Heights between May 2018 and February 2019.

The spa located on 76th Street and 37th Avenue also had 12 women working there are all under questioning after raid on April 18.

According to the charges, the 36-year-old victim was referred to the Nishu Salon and Spa for a job by an employment agency. She was hired in May 2018, and underwent training on how to perform massages bythe manager, Jayatunge. During this training, the victim was ordered to remove all of her clothing and the defendant allegedly touched her breast, inner thigh and genitals during these how-to massages. The new worker was then induced into adding masturbation, oral sex and sexual intercourse to the massages she performed on clients. The defendant allegedly kept all the money for these sex acts.

Continuing, according to the charges, when the worker tried to stop trading sex for money as part of her spa employment, she began receiving threatening text messages and when she poke to the defendant about the messages he allegedly threatened to tell her family that she had been engaging in prostitution acts, in addition, to threatening her with deportation.

Chief ADA Ryan said, ?Using threats and intimidation, the defendant in this case is accused of coercing a female worker to perform various sex acts on clients seeking massages with ?happy endings.? The defendant allegedly profited from these added services by pocketing the money himself. This is sex trafficking and those who force women into prostitution will find themselves facing incarceration.?

His bail is set at $100,000 and ordered to surrender his passport. His next court date is May 1, 2019. If convicted, Jayatunge faces up to 25 years in prison.